Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of (a) staff of his Department and (b) staff working for companies contracted by his Department in Scotland are paid less than the living wage.

The Government supports businesses which choose to pay the Living Wage. The national minimum wage is independently set by the Low Pay Commission at a level which maximises wages without reducing employment prospects. It is for workers and employers to negotiate the level of wages above the minimum wage. This includes the Government as a procurer and an employer. Around 20 million employees, over 95% of the total, earn above the minimum wage, and the majority of public sector workers currently earn above the Living Wage.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently employs 170 civilian staff in Scotland who are being paid below the UK Living Wage of £7.85 an hour. This represents 4.4% of the MOD civilian population based in Scotland.

We do not have access to the information required to provide equivalent data in respect of contracted workers' rates of pay, where paid by their parent company or recruitment agency.